IT'S A FAMILY STORY
In 1991, Jean-Jacques LAUBY, a Toulouse resident with a passion for rugby and a former sports teacher who had worked in textiles, decided to create his own ready-to-wear brand for men.
His initial idea: to make only rugby polo shirts, hard-wearing and heavy like kimonos, the very trendy item of the 90s.
Everything is ready: the notebooks with pages filled with sketches over the months, the prototypes developed, the threads purchased, the French weaving, assembly and embroidery workshops found...
The only thing missing is the name!
At the end of the 1991-1992 season, rugby player Serge Blanco declared that he was ending his career. That was all it took for Jean-Jacques Lauby, a daring entrepreneur, to contact the rugby player. Who better on the planet rugby to embody his project!
In a single meeting, the two men, who share common values, seal their agreement with a handshake. Jean-Jacques Lauby promises Serge a brand that will still be talked about in 30 years.
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
SERGE BLANCO
DEVELOPMENT
The story is underway and its creator does not intend to stop there. After having crisscrossed the whole of France to offer his innovative polo shirts, Jean-Jacques Lauby continues to develop his new brand with the help of his wife.
Because if the SERGE BLANCO polo shirt and shirts were the brand's original specialty, it quickly offered a complete men's wardrobe enriched with a line of accessories, shoes and a collection of luggage and leather goods.
It was time for the first store openings from 1994, launching a linear expansion to grow step by step.
Always at the heart of our brand's history, people and encounters are at the center of everything, and our emblematic logo, the embroidered polo shirt decorated with the 15, stands out.
This is how the Canal + sports teams began to wear it, with the highlight being the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. At the same time, the French Handball team, nicknamed the Barjots, became World Champion in 1995, wore the brand's pieces on TV sets, and many other stars from the world of sport took them on.
But the pride of the Lauby family is to see this logo in the street, in the stadiums, the real knowledge is there: our customers. The loyal ones, the new ones, this proof of trust is the starting soul of this project and has never left us.
ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD
Joined by their children Lionel and Elsa in 1997, today CEO and MD, SERGE BLANCO is more than ever a family affair. The brand continues its development in France and internationally.
Since its inception, the brand has remained faithful to the values it promotes: generosity, team spirit, respect, solidarity and authenticity.
SERGE BLANCO has known how to evolve with his time and eras, reinvent himself and move the lines without losing his DNA which made his reputation.
The SERGE BLANCO brand has become a must-have in the
men's fashion.
Its daily commitments on subjects such as sustainable development and eco-responsibility demonstrate a desire to adopt an approach that is in line with the fundamental principles of the brand.
Today, the company TNT SERGE BLANCO, which designs, produces, markets and develops the brand in France and internationally, employs 172 people in France, has 55 SERGE BLANCO boutiques and more than 300 multi-brand boutiques and 400 leather goods and shoe shops. Its head office is in Toulouse and its capital is still 100% family-owned.
A big thank you to all those who write the history of the SERGE BLANCO brand with us every day.